Humany Energy Project
by CapTrigger
Summary: The power contained in an EC. It can easily make one man strong enough to destroy a nation, even defy laws of science....but in trying to understand unknown power, how far will people go?
1. Prologue Episode 1

Free Energy, science would dictate that there is no such thing as _Free Energy, _as when energy is created and produced, energy is also lost. In order to have free energy would mean to not use energy to produce usable energy, a scientific impossibility. That has always been the case, until one day that is. A miner found a strange stone that emitted a light blue glow. Keeping the stone with him on his shift, he continued working when the crystal shattered against the weight on his body, the result was his body inheriting the light blue glow.

Workers and families concerned by this development proceeded to investigate and try to find out what's wrong but after the examination, concluded that nothing was physically or mentally wrong with him and allowed him to go back to work. It was during that change can be seen, as he was able to do an entire weeks worth of work in a single day, with the blue glow finally wearing off after at the end of the shift.

This was the beginning of the Energy Crystal phenomena. Several more cases would eventually be confirmed, including a 12 year boy stopping a train, a woman falling off a skyscraper and survived without injury, and a car that made of 12 hour trip with no gas in the tank. After scientist were able to effectively study these _Energy Crystals_ it was finally stated that these crystals were an alternate form of energy. However it's origin was never identified.

Energy Crystal: Hereby as referred to as _EC's,_is a substance of materialized energy able to hold and transfer vast amounts of energy. Transfer of energy is possible upon shattering the crystal against a surface of the object. Research is still being done on how to control this process for more effective use.

Upon learning the power within an EC, the Central Government Office, which controls most of the world's economy and nation's laws, decreed that all EC's retrieved should be given to Military personnel, in order to provide national security against any anti-government or terrorist organizations. However at the time this was made law, people have gotten use to using the EC's for personal use and having the idea of having to give it up for military use and government regulation was not well received.

The world is now on the verge of civil and global conflict with trying to achieve control over the EC's. This development as left most of the world in chaos, with everyone having to fend for themselves, it is during this time period that this story takes place.

--

Years later, in a frontier town.

--Episode 1: The Mysterious Seeker

"Excuse me, could you help me find this person?" asked a young girl. The stranger took a glimpse at her and brushed her off.

"No, get out of my way, freak," replied the man who walked briskly by. The girl, sank to the floor and rested against the wall of a nearby house. She had been getting answers like that all day.

"OK, thank you...for your...time," she responded to herself. She was about 16 years old, wearing a brown ragged dress, a white T-shirt with part of an old cloak sitting on her shoulders. She had indigo hair, tied in a ponytail on the right side of her head. She was a nice girl, but the reason she knew she would she would be rejected every time was because of her eyes, they held the same glow as the ECs and was still very weak and frail. She couldn't explain it either. It was unnatural for someone to have such eyes and be weak, and without any explanation, she had no choice to but to accept the rejection. She got back up on her feet and proceeded to walk around again and continue to ask for help.

"Excuse me?" she started again.

"Huh, what do you want?" replied the man. He looked at the young girl as she approached and was already disgusted.

"I'm looking for the person in this photo, can you help me?" she asked, holding up a picture. The man grabbed the picture, and then released it, allowing the wind to sweep it away. The girl immediately broke into a run, after the picture. The picture eventually got snagged into a tree, and she without care, began to climb up into the tree. She eventually reached the picture, but was too exhausted to try and climb back down. Taking a seat in the tree, she began to wonder.

"Why would he let go of the picture like that, I mean he asked what I wanted so shouldn't he have at least been a little courteous." She looked at the picture, and let out a small sigh. "This person knows something about me, he has to help me, I want to know who I am." While she was thinking that, a squirrel jumped on her, scaring her and forced her to fall out of the tree. After hitting the ground, she looked back up and saw the squirrel perched on her spot, eating an acorn. She suddenly felt at ease. "Don't scare me like that" she scolded playfully.

Later that evening, bikes and cars could be heard roaring down the streets, forcing everybody off the road and into nearby buildings. It was a The Mallet gang, a notorious band of thugs, known primarily by their leaders tendency to smash everything with his over-sized mallet.

"Alright ladies and peasants. I'm here to negotiate a little trade off to make your lives easier. The government is sending a patrol unit tomorrow to collect your ECs right? Well, how about I hold on to them for you, and return them after they leave? Of course, there's no guarantee that I'll even return, but the government won't have them, so how about it." shouted the mallet man.

The people nearby began to shout back, saying that he was no better than the government, he was nothing more than petty thief, and that he has no right to declare such dribble. The mallet man parked his bike, walked over to a house, and with the mallet, smashed in the entire wall, causing everyone to be silent, except his gang which went to a roaring cheer.

"Now whose in control of this talk?" he asked.

"That's not fair, I won't let you get away" shouted a boy who saw what the mallet man did. "I have the power to stop you too!" With that, the boy picked up a bat, and then in his pocket, pulled out an EC. Crushing it in his hands, he began to glow, showing that he now had the energy that was in the EC. The boy charged, running faster than any track star, and within seconds was right in the mallet man's face. He swung the bat at him, attempting to smash his face, but was caught in mid-air by the mallet man.

"It's good to see the youth trying be brave, but even with an EC, your no match for me," laughed the mallet man as he tossed the boy aside. The mallet man, reached into his pockets and pulled out three ECs. "Do realize if I so choose, I could destroy this entire town, so behave and do as I say."

The gang continued to go throughout the town, taking whatever ECs they could find until they came across one family that was claiming that didn't have any. The mallet man went over to that house and looked at the family.

"Lying will get this lovely home of yours destroyed. Wanna answer the question again?"

"We don't have any, we don't even have any to give to the government," cried the woman, holding her children close.

"Ah, really, then 500 WDs would be a good substitute." WDs is short of world dollars, a global currency to regulate the economy of the world and the distribution of goods and aid.

"500, we can't spare that, that's all we have to live on until payday," she cried.

"Well then, your not worth anything now are you? I think I'll just put you all out of your misery," he shouted, raising his mallet. He was about to crush the woman and her children when the girl stepped in between them.

"Please, don't harm anyone in this town, they're good people. They don't deserve to have what's theirs taken away, so please?" asked the girl with her arms outstretched, blocking the woman and her children. The mallet man was startled for a moment due to her sudden appearance and eyes but quickly overcame that and put his mallet down.

"Why should I listen you, do you have a debt to these people?" he asked slyly.

"No, I don't know these people, but I have been in this town long enough to know that these people don't deserve to be hurt," she responded. The mallet man, already irritated at the amount of nuisances he was getting, grabbed her a tossed her aside into the street. He then grabbed his mallet and proceeded after her.

"You are a fool, these people have done nothing for you and probably don't even care about you or your worthless exsistance, and yet, your willing to put yourself in danger to help them?"

"Yes,"

"Hmph, maybe I should smack some sense into you, just looking at you and those...eyes, makes me sick just looking at 'em," he shouted raising his mallet. "Better yet, you can think of how foolish you are as these people will do absolutely nothing to stop me from smashing you," shouted the mallet man. The girl realized what danger she was in now, and put her hands up in protest. "This is what happens to people who tell me what to do," he shouted as he brought his mallet smashing down on top of the girl. The mallet would have killed her, if it had connected. When the girl opened her eyes, in front of the mallet was a strangely forged sword. The sword had easily stopped the force of the mallet.

"What the, who dares defy me now," shouted the mallet man, as he lifted his mallet again to look around. He looked to the person holding the sword.

"I guess I would be the one defying you, if that's how you want to phrase it," said a young man. He was holding the strange sword and had it placed on his shoulder. Wearing blue jeans, white sneakers, a white T-shirt with a blue/green shirt on top and unbuttoned, and a blue cap, and two black arm bands. "Personally I would like to think of it as me saving an innocent life from the leader of the Mallet Gang. You are the Mallet Gang's leader right?"

"What if I am? It's not like you could stop me and save this village."

"Hmm, that may be true, I mean, anybody worth 3500 WDs has got to be pretty powerful, right?"

"What, 3500, where would get an idea like that,"

"Bounty Hunters network," smiled the man.

"You...your a bounty hunter?"

"The name's Ban, and I'll be the bounty hunter that's going to turn in you for a handsome reward,"


	2. Episode 2

Episode 2: Difference In Power

In a frontier town, a lot can happen, people can get away with a lot of things. Corruption can run rampant in a frontier town with no real order, even if order is established, one with more power can come in, sending it back into chaos. It wasn't anything new for a frontier town to bare witness to a power struggle between to strong powers. With the demand for ECs high, plus the power given to a person with them in possession, the call to leadership can almost seem tangible. For one frontier town, namely, one special girl, she was in a front row seat to one of these frontier struggles, between a man searching for his world order and a man searching for riches.

"It says here that you are wanted for 3,500 WDs. It isn't much but it does put food on the table, shall we get started," shouted Ban.

"Ha, if you think you can take me out with that pitiful excuse of a sword you are sadly mistaken...Look at that thing you call a sword, it looks more like to steel frames welded together, and poorly at that," shouted the gang leader back at Ban. Ban stood still, as if hit by a bullet, he then lifted his sword and looked at it.

"It is two steel frames welded together, I thought it be cool to have a unique weapon of my own," muttered Ban. Everyone stood dumbstruck, he was serious, he had actually made the sword exactly as the gang leader had observed.

"Moron, prepare to learn the error of your foolish ways," shouted the gang leader as he brought his mallet down on top of Ban. Ban quickly countered by swinging the flat side of the sword underneath the mallet, and blocked the attack. He immediately pushed back with equal force, causing the gang leader to stumble back. As he was stumbling back, Ban charged and landed a clear kick in the stomach, knocking the gang leader on to the ground and forcing him to slide back a few feet.

"Is that it, I assumed you be a little tougher than that?" smirked Ban. The gang leader quickly got back up on his feet, charging again with the same attack pattern. This time Ban, stepped back, dodging the attack, then quickly bringing his sword down on top of the hilt, pinned the mallet where it was. The gang leader began to struggle to try getting his mallet up from being pinned down by the sword. He looked up to Ban, who stood there cracking his fist and with one clean punch to the face, knocked the gang leader back down on the ground.

"Who, who do you think you are messing with,"

"A big dumb oaf. How you even managed to be qualified on the bounty is beyond me," sighed Ban.

"Heheheh, I guess, I should show you why the local law enforcement doesn't bother me," grinned the gang leader as he reached into his pocket. Ban began to hear smirks and laughter from the spectating gang members. The girl and the rest of the nearby villagers could hear their laughter, beginning to worry about the situation. The girl wasn't quite sure what was going on until the mallet man pulled out two ECs, causing her to almost shake uncontrollably.

"He's going to use two ECs, don't fight him. He'll be too strong in a 2nd state," shouted the girl to Ban. Ban turned around to look at the shouting girl. He then noticed her eyes held the same glow as the EC's, he then grinned and gave a confident thumbs up.

"Don't worry, I can handle this," he replied, returning his attention to the gang leader.

"Oh you think you can handle a 2nd state fight without any EC's, you are a bigger fool than I thought," laughed the gang leader. With that, he crushed the two EC's in his hand and immediately began to glow with the same glow as the EC's. His muscles began to bulge more, his eyes changed as well to same look as the girl nearby. Despite this frightful change in attitude and appearance, Ban didn't worry about it one bit.

"You realize that the 2nd state on refers to how many ECs you have released in your body. It doesn't make you a better fighter," mocked Ban.

"Really then, lets see you keep up!" shouted the gang leader as he suddenly charged, he was now faster than stock car, in terms of speed, and in a matter of seconds he was face to face with Ban, with a clenched fist ready to connect. However, when he threw the punch, he was only swinging at air. Ban had somehow managed to duck in time to dodge the punch. However, he had to get away from a close combat situation, having to release the mallet from the hold it was in. Getting more distance between them, he positioned his sword in his attack stance to continue the fight.

"Round two?" shouted Ban.

"Heh, how you managed to dodge my attack is beyond me, but now that I have my mallet back, its over," laughed the gang leader, as he lifted his mallet into the air and then brought it crashing to the ground, causing a giant fissure that began to tear its way toward Ban.

"Oh boy, with that much power if I dodge it, the town and villagers will take the attack. I'll just have to cancel it altogether then," muttered Ban. He proceeded to do the same as he lifted his sword up into the air and brought it crashing down, causing another similar fissure, which collided with the gang leaders and cancelled each other out. The gang leader stood dumbstruck.

"How did you manage to do that?"

"Practice," mocked Ban.

"You, I'll crush you where you stand," shouted the gang leader again. Ban looked at the gang leader as the gap was quickly closed and Ban was now just inches away from being flattened like a pancake. Ban again, took a stepped back and dodged the attack, but only by a hairs breath.

"Wow, I really did cut that a bit too close,"

"You won't dodge it next time," shouted the gang leader as he tried the same tactic again. Ban went into attacking stance and held his position. The mallet was once again a few seconds from crushing Ban flat, when Ban finally made his move.

"Strike of release, HALO ROTATION," shouted Ban, swinging his sword in a full 360 degree spin. The resulting swing create a pure halo out of wind and in an instant, shot off a blast of air pressure in all directions. The power behind the air pressure was enough to stop the mallet man in his tracks and then blast him down the road where he finally collided into a building. The building unable to bare the amount of energy that was just smashed into it, collapsed on top of him. The rest gang proceeded to bail out of the city after such a momentous turn of events.

"Amazing, without the use of any ECs, he managed to defeat an opponent in the 2nd state," whispered the girl who was watching close by. Ban walked over to the mallet man, who had returned to normal self, having lost all EC energy from the impact into the building.

"This wasn't even worth 3,500 WDs, but at least I'll have something to eat tomorrow," grinned Ban with satisfaction of his victory.

--

Author Notes

(I guess I should explain why a story like this is here. Besides that fact that it isn't using any final fantasy references, other than the use of powerful crystals, it was the only place that at least had the same theme as this story. I originally tried to write it in a blog on MySpace...but...ah...just wasn't cutting it. I would like to finish it and this seemed to be the best avenue, sorry if this doesn't meet expectations.

Feel free to review, comment, whatever it is the other authors usually jot down at this point, I wanna have a least one story under the completed section before I get to the other "actual" fanfic)


	3. Episode 3

Episode 3: An Act of Kindness

Ban waited at the edge of town with the mallet gang tied, gaged, and bounded, awaiting the arrival of the Bounty Hunters Capture Unit. The BHCU was a transport unit that picked up wanted bounties when captured by a bounty hunter and then paid the respective bounty to the bounty hunter. Ban had been through this procedure several times and managed to get the BHCU to arrive exactly the next morning. As he waited, several townspeople approached him to ask him to stay, become the local sheriff for lack of better terms, or just give him general thanks. Ban had no intention of sticking around and was planning to go after the next bounty that he could get his hands on. As he received his pay, he picked up his belongings and proceeded to head out of town when someone tugged on his shirt.

"Excuse me, I just have a question I would like to ask you, if you don't mind," asked the girl from before.

"Hm," thought Ban as he turned around to answer her.

"I'm looking for someone, the man in this picture. Do you know where I can find him, or someone that might know where he could be?" Ban took the picture, looked at it at several different angles, lifted it up to the sun, slide his finger across it, and handed it back.

"No clue," he responded.

"Oh...OK, well, thank for your help..." she responded, with a face of disappointment. She began to walk away, trying to figure out what she should do next when she felt someones hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't give me a chance to answer your second question. Have you ever heard of an Information Broker?" asked Ban.

"An Information Broker?"

"They're people who collect information, and give it to others for a price. Selling wanted information, and if you offer a good price they'll do whatever it takes to find what is you want know."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I can't pay anyone though, I don't have any money. Thanks for your help though, I'll continue to ask around town and hopefully, someone can tell me where to go" she responded, giving Ban a respectful bow and then proceeded to walk away. Ban watched her walk away and couldn't help but wonder why she was so intent on finding out about the man in the picture despite her unfavorable circumstance. He also couldn't help but wonder about the glow in her eyes, as if there was something more about her that shouldn't be ignored.

"Hey, wait a minute, what's your name?" he shouted to her.

"Me?" she stated looking confused.

"Who else?"

"Um...I...I don't know,"

"Really now, a case of amnesia,"

"I'm sorry..."

"Well that's just pathetic. You were seriously going to continue wandering around, homeless, and hungry, asking people who really don't care much about you, about this man you have know nothing about," began Ban. As Ban spoke, the girl became more and more discouraged at her situation and even at herself when...

"...when it's pretty obvious that I'm the best lead you have. Really, you should be a little more persistent, when you have something you really need come at you like this. Now don't be humble about it, I'll do for free and get you in contact with a friend of mine, how about it?" The girl, only stood there in disbelief. Here was this strong bounty hunter, offering to help her, a nobody, and for free, with no gain for him at all.

"I...I don't...no one has...but" she stuttered.

"Stop it," interrupted Ban. "Considering you have amnesia, means you probably remember something but need someway to jog your memory. Any bit of info we can get should help."

"Oh, OK,"

"You'll also need a name, how about, Amni for the time being, short for Amnesia. It's better than calling you nothing."

"Thank...thank you...so much sir,"

"You can call me Ban, I'm not that old to be called sir,"

"OK...Ban...thank you." Ban looked at her, despite being homeless and poor, she seemed like a real good girl, but the glow in her eyes, the same glow as the EC's he kept in his pouch, only made him wonder if she was even human or if she was something else and he was going to find out one way or another.


End file.
